By The Carroll College competitive cheer team opened their competition season in California this past weekend at the Royal Rumble Invitational held at Hope International University.
The cheer team participated in three separate events during the Saturday competition.
In the multi-team event, including host Hope International University and Simpson University, Carroll fell just short to Simpson University, scoring 60.72 and earning the third-place spot (Simpson- 64.72, HIU- 84.45).
The two duals showed great improvement where the Saints faced the host school head-to-head. While Carroll improved their score significantly, HIU maintained a strong lead (HIU– 76.67, Carroll- 66.80).
The duel against Simpson was the closest contest of the weekend for the Saints, where they reached their peak performance score, Simpson- 70.68, Carroll- 67.15.
The Saints met a high bar set by Hope International and Simpson University, showing relentless growth.
Navigating the NAIA’s 100-point score format, where teams start at zero and earn points by checking off specific requirements and skills.
It is essentially split into two halves: difficulty, which rewards the complexity and number of athletes performing a skill, and execution, which evaluates how cleanly and safely those skills are performed. Carroll’s athletes remained composed and sharpened their execution, delivering stronger performances in each round.
“The weekend was fast and furious; the team came out and was very persistent in their goals and aspirations for the team. Every stunt was hit, and we’ve seen a lot of growth in jumps,” said Head Coach Brooklyn Purcell. “I’m incredibly proud of how far this team has come, and after seeing their drive this past weekend, where every one of our three competition scores surpassed last season’s overall score, it is clear that great things are ahead for Carroll Cheer.”
While the weekend was defined by “almosts” on the scoreboard, the coaching staff sees a clear path forward.
With feedback from the judges, the program has a clear blueprint for refinement as they head back to the practice gym in Helena.
